Woody & Pals reunite in revival of beloved animated franchise

Film Review by Kam Williams

Toy Story 3

Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2 are such beloved screen classics that fans of the franchise were understandably worried whether the latest installment would measure up, given the decade which had intervened in the interim. But everyone can breathe a collective sigh of relief, for this eagerly-anticipated sequel is every bit as enchanting as the earlier offerings. The movie is the product of another inspired collaboration between Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and is well worth the additional investment to enjoy their latest generation of CGI technology in 3-D.

Directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc.), the film features a storyline which sensibly reflects a passage of time since the previous episode. Thus, we have an almost-grown protagonist in Andy Davis (John Morris) who, at 17, is preparing to leave home for college. As he packs, he’s prompted by his mom (Laurie Metcalf) to pick which of his personal belongings he wants to keep, and which he wants her to toss in the trash.

Kunstler bio-pic set to premiere on PBS June 22nd at 10 PM

PBS-TV Review by Kam Williams

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe

William Kunstler (1919-1995) was one of the most reviled figures of the 20th Century. For he was an attorney who not only represented controversial causes and unpopular people, but his approach in the courtroom involved exposing the racism and classicism permeating the legal justice system.

Always ahead of his time, Kunstler’s lifelong commitment to civil rights began when he went to Mississippi to defend Freedom Riders being arrested for trying to integrate lunch counters and other public accommodations. No hypocrite, he cared just as much about equality in his hometown of Rye, New York, where he successfully sued on behalf of a black couple trying to move into the lily-white enclave in 1960.

Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith co-star in remake of martial arts classic

Film Review by Kam Williams

The Karate Kid

Hollywood is in the midst of a full-blown revival of Eighties classics, and the latest beneficiary of that sense of nostalgia is The Karate Kid. The 1984 martial arts hit was a modestly-budgeted revenge flick about a 98-pound weakling who gets bullied by classmates after he and his mom relocate to California. But the newcomer is soon befriended by his apartment building’s Japanese janitor, who teaches the boy karate by putting him on an unorthodox training regimen that’s doesn’t involve any fighting.

Omarosa debuts sizzling new dating show on TV One

Pharoh Martin NNPA National Correspondent

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - TV One's new television show Donald J. Trump Presents "The Ultimate Merger" sounds more like business program about joint ventures than an African-American dating show - but it isn't.

Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump and the producers of the highly-successful NBC reality program “The Apprentice” have brought their can't miss formula to TV One hoping that one of their most infamous Apprentice contestants can close the deal on love.

If nothing else, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, usually just known as Omarosa, always makes for good television. Trump knows this. That's why he invited his season one contestant back for a second time as a participant on Celebrity Apprentice and has now green-lighted her a reality show of her own.

Book Review : People Buy Brands, Not Companies

Kam Williams

“Once I was like a lot of people who think that marketing is just a way of convincing people to buy a whole bunch of things they don’t need… Yes, I was in the marketing-is-about-creating-need camp… But, you know what, the buyer can’t be misled forever. You can’t create need no matter how hard you try. You can only discover the need and then find a way to meet it.

When Fed Ex launched its now legendary, ‘When it absolutely, positively, has to get there overnight’ campaign, they weren’t creating a need, they were filling one. Marketing at its best is about making things happen through creativity, intelligence and adaptability that would never have happened had someone not had the vision or the drive to market…

[Once] you’ve got a successful brand, things just happen. A brand is one of the closest things to magic on Earth. It’s not that you don’t have to work hard to make it successful and keep it successful, it’s just that in many ways a great brand sells itself.

So, that’s the context for this book and our marketing mission, but the essence of this book is clear from the title: people buy brands.” -- Excerpted from the Introduction (pgs. 2-7)

Ex-con seeks job & dignity in depression era drama

Film Review by Kam Williams

Kings of the Evening

Just paroled after doing a couple years on a chain gang, Homer Hobbs (Tyson Beckford) is eager for a fresh start. This is easier said than done since he has several strikes against him, being an unskilled Black man with a record. This dilemma is compounded by the fact that it’s the State of Georgia during the height of the Great Depression, so the unlucky ex-con is definitely dependent on the kindness of others for help until he can get on his feet.

He is fortunate enough to cross paths with a street hustler named Benny Potter (Reginald T. Dorsey) who brings him to a rooming house run by Gracie (Lynn Whitfield), a Bible-thumping landlady with the proverbial heart of gold. She, in turn, directs Homer to the local fashion hall where each Sunday evening brothers don their finest threads to compete in a men-only fashion ball with the $5 grand prize going to the best-dressed gent.

DVD sequel features profiles of prominent African-Americans

DVD Review by Kam Williams

The Black List, Volume 2

Film critic Elvis Mitchell and director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders collaborated on another series of fascinating interviews with a mix of African-American artists, activists, academics and athletes. Many are instantly-recognizable icons who need no introduction, such as Tyler Perry, Laurence Fishburne, Melvin Van Peebles, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Angela Davis.

Others are a little less known, like Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, comedienne Maya Rudolph, country singer Charlie Pride, gangsta’ rapper RZA, painter Kara Walker, clothes designer Patrick Robinson and Oscar-nominated scriptwriter Suzanne De Passe. And then there are those who have met with success away from the limelight, including Episcopal Bishop Barbara C. Harris, community organizer Mahora Carter and Dean of Meharry School of Medicine Dr. Valerie Montgomery-Rice.